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MacBook Pro Q&A - Published March 4, 2008
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What is the difference between the MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo "Early 2008/Penryn" models and the MacBook Pro "Mid-2007/Santa Rosa" models that they replaced?
Please note that all models mentioned in this Q&A have been discontinued. The 15-Inch "Early 2008/Penryn" MacBook Pro models were replaced by the 15-Inch "Late 2008/Unibody" MacBook Pro models and the 17-Inch "Early 2008/Penryn" MacBook Pro was replaced by the 17-Inch "Early 2009/Unibody" MacBook Pro.
Externally, it would be unlikely for one to quickly notice a difference between the MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo "Early 2008/Penryn" models -- the MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.4 15" (2008), "Core 2 Duo" 2.5 15" (2008), and "Core 2 Duo" 2.5 17" (2008) -- and their predecessors as each share identical cases.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc.
However, upon closer inspection, one would likely would notice a difference in the keyboards. The keyboard on the "Early 2008/Penryn" MacBook Pro models eliminates the "embedded numeric keypad", replaces the "enter" key next to the right-hand "command" key with a second option key, and has different function key mapping. Additionally, the "Early 2008/Penryn" models unveil a new trackpad "borrowed" from the MacBook Air -- which adds support for "multi-touch gesturing" (two finger scroll, pinch, rotate, swipe, tap, double-tap, and drag).
The 15-Inch "Early 2008/Penryn" MacBook Pro models have the same display as their predecessors -- a 15.4" color "antiglare widescreen TFT LED backlit display" with a 1440x900 native resolution. By default, the 17-Inch models have the same display also -- an antiglare CCFL-backlit 17" widescreen 1680x1050 active-matrix display, but whereas the "Mid-2007/Santa Rosa" model could be upgraded to a CCFL-backlit higher-resolution 1920x1200 display, the "Early 2008/Penryn" model can be upgraded to an LED-backlit higher-resolution 1920x1200 display for US$100.
Connectivity effectively is the same, with an ExpressCard/34 slot, AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n), Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire "400" port, Firewire "800" port, two USB 2.0 ports (three on the 17-Inch system), optical digital audio in/out, and DVI out (although Bluetooth has been upgraded to the 2.1+EDR standard). The "Early 2008/Penryn" and "Mid-2007/Santa Rosa" models also share the "MagSafe" power connector and integrated iSight video camera. The Apple Remote -- bundled for free with the "Mid-2007/Santa Rosa" models -- is a US$19 upgrade for the "Early 2008/Penryn" series.
Internally, the differences are still are modest, but worth noting nevertheless. The "Early 2008/Penryn" models use modestly faster and more energy-efficient 45 nm "Penryn" processors -- compared to 65 nm "Merom" processors in the "Mid-2007/Santa Rosa" series -- larger 6 MB level 2 caches (on the 2.5 GHz models, compared to 4 MB caches on their predecessors, albeit the 2.4 GHz model has a 3 MB cache), more video memory (256 MB or 512 MB, compared to 128 MB or 256 MB), and larger stock hard drives. The underlying architecture is effectively the same -- with an 800 MHz frontside bus, 4 GB of RAM capacity, and NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics. The 8X dual-layer SuperDrive is the same as well.
It's also worth noting that Apple changed how the company measured battery life for the "Early 2008/Penryn" models. For the "Mid-2007/Santa Rosa" systems, Apple reported that the 15-Inch models provided 6 hours and the 17-Inch model 5.75 hours of battery life -- with wireless off. For the "Early 2008/Penryn" systems, the company reported that the 15-Inch models provide 5 hours and the 17-Inch model 4.5 hours -- but this is for "wireless productivity".
For your convenience, the major differences between the MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo "Early 2008/Penryn" model and the configuration that each immediately replaced are summarized below. Please refer to the specs page for the model of interest for complete details.
| MacBook Pro 15": | Core 2 Duo Santa Rosa 2.2 | Core 2 Duo Penryn 2.4 |
|---|---|---|
| Processor Type: | 2.2 GHz "Core 2 Duo" (T7500) | 2.4 GHz "Core 2 Duo" (T8300) |
| Frontside Bus: | 800 MHz | 800 MHz |
| Standard RAM: | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| Maximum RAM: | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Video Type: | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT |
| Video Memory: | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Backlight: | LED | LED |
| Hard Drive: | 120 GB | 200 GB |
| SuperDrive: | 8X Dual-Layer | 8X Dual-Layer |
| Est. Battery Life: | 6 Hours* | 5 Hours* |
| Apple Part No: | MA895LL | MB133LL/A |
| Original Price: | US$1999 | US$1999 |
| MacBook Pro 15": | Core 2 Duo Santa Rosa 2.4 | Core 2 Duo Penryn 2.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Processor Type: | 2.4 GHz "Core 2 Duo" (T7700) | 2.5 GHz "Core 2 Duo" (T9300) |
| Frontside Bus: | 800 MHz | 800 MHz |
| Standard RAM: | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| Maximum RAM: | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Video Type: | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT |
| Video Memory: | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Backlight: | LED | LED |
| Hard Drive: | 160 GB | 250 GB |
| SuperDrive: | 8X Dual-Layer | 8X Dual-Layer |
| Est. Battery Life: | 6 Hours* | 5 Hours* |
| Apple Part No: | MA896LL | MB134LL/A |
| Original Price: | US$2499 | US$2499 |
| MacBook Pro 17": | Core 2 Duo Santa Rosa 2.4 | Core 2 Duo Penryn 2.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Processor Type: | 2.4 GHz "Core 2 Duo" (T7700) | 2.5 GHz "Core 2 Duo" (T9300) |
| Frontside Bus: | 800 MHz | 800 MHz |
| Standard RAM: | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| Maximum RAM: | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Video Type: | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT | NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT |
| Video Memory: | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Backlight: | CCFL† | CCFL† |
| Hard Drive: | 160 GB | 250 GB |
| SuperDrive: | 8X Dual-Layer | 8X Dual-Layer |
| Est. Battery Life: | 5.75 Hours* | 4.5 Hours* |
| Apple Part No: | MA897LL/A | MB166LL/A |
| Original Price: | US$2799 | US$2799 |
* Apple changed how the company measured battery life. For the "Mid-2007/Santa Rosa" line, the company reported battery life with wireless off, and for the "Early 2008/Penryn" systems, the company reported battery life in terms of "wireless productivity" (effectively with wireless on, but with light usage).
† Unlike the 15-inch models, the 17-inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo "Early 2008/Penryn" system does not use an LED-based backlit display by default. A higher-resolution 1920x1200 LED-backlit display is available by custom configuration, however.
Please refer to the Ultimate Mac Comparison feature to dynamically compare any MacBook Pro model to any other G3 or later Mac.
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